Tool for removing automobile door handles and window rollers



P '5, 1967 G.YR. BRINSON 3,339,262

TOOL FOR REMOVING AUTOMOBILE DOOR HANDLES AND WINDOW ROLLERS Filed Aug. 26, 1965 GARLAND R. BR/NSON INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,339,262 TOOL FOR REMOVING AUTOMOBILE DOOR HANDLES AND WINDOW ROLLERS Garland R. Brinson, 1415 Randolph, Arlington, Tex. 76010 Filed Aug. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 482,836 1 Claim. (Cl. 29229) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tool for removing inside crank type door handles and window roller handles in automobiles and comprised of an operating plate including a forward end having a recess therein shaped to engage and spread a U-shaped keeper spring which normally locks the window handle on its shaft and a tool handle pivotally mounted on 0pposite sides of the plate in line with the plate recess whereby the automobile window handle may be pulled off of its shaft without canting.

In its preferred form, the invention includes a slidably extensible handle with stop means for manually imparting a hammer action on the window handle to be removed.

This invention relates to tools for removing inside crank type door handles and window roller handles in automobiles. In many makes of automobiles such handles are detachably secured on their shafts by U-shaped keeper springs having diverging ends. Each shaft has a circumferential groove near its end, and the socket of the handle has opposing openings receiving converging po-rtions of the spring which normally extend into the first said groove. The shafts and the sockets of the handles are correspondingly splined to assure rotation of the shafts by the handles.

To remove a handle, it is necessary to spread the keeper spring and then pull the handle socket off of the shaft. Obviously, reaching the ends of the spring is a blind operation, and in many cases the socket is difficult to remove because of corrosion. Sometimes the sockets are tight on their shafts by reason of hammering at the time of installation. Another problem in the removal of handles is binding by reason of canting the socket when using tools heretofore intended for the described purpose.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a tool for conveniently and easily expanding a keeper spring for removing a door handle or a window roller handle from its shaft in an automobile.

A particular object of the invention, in addition to the foregoing object, is to provide a tool capable of a hammering action for removing a tightly secured handle after the keeper spring has been released from the shaft.

Another object is to provide a tool of the described class which will retain the keeper spring throughout the handle removal operation so that the spring will not be dropped and lost.

Another object is to provide an automobile handle removing tool wherein the pulling operation is parallel with the handle shaft so as to avoid canting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the described class which will not damage the material of the door pad.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan and fragmentary sectional view of a handle removing tool according to the invention and applied to a keeper spring on a handle shaft.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the tool applied to a handle on the inside of an automobile.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the operating plate of the tool and its hinged bracket.

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view along a length of shaft and showing the leading edge of the operating plate just prior to inserting the same between a handle socket and an escutcheon plate.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the sockets fully received in the operating plate.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a handle socket showing one of the openings through which a converging portion of the keeper spring projects.

FIGURE 7 is a top plan and sectional view of the tool applied to a handle of the type having an integral escutcheon plate, and

FIGURE 8 is a modified form of the invention wherein the handle is shown in longitudinal section to illustrate a handle support comprised of spaced parallel rods.

The form of the invention shown includes a flat operating plate 10, and a U-shaped bracket 11 hingedly mounted at its ends on upstanding ears 12 on opposite sides of the plate by means of pins 13.

The handle assembly 14 illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 is comprised of a rod 15 secured to the bracket 11 at one end by means of a nut 16. On the remaining end of the rod 15 there is a cylindrical stop 17 for engagement with an internal shoulder 18 in a tubular handle 19. As best shown in FIGURE 1, the handle 19 is slidably mounted on the rod 15 and arranged so that the shoulder 18 engages the stop 17 when the handle is fully extended.

The present tool is intended, primarily, for removing handles 20 of the type illustrated in FIGURE 7 where the base 21 is large and round and is integral with the handle. The socket 22, FIGURE 6, is contained within the base 21 and is integral with the handle 20. The tool is also capable of use with older types of handle assemblies such as the one illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 wherein the base, such as 21, is separate from the handle 20a and is herein referred to as an escutcheon plate 21a. Other parts of the handle assemblies are identical and have the same reference numerals. Each handle assembly includes a door or window operating shaft 23, the end of which that projects through the door pad 24 and is splined at 25. The door pad 24, which is capable of flexing inwardly, has a decorative surface 26 which the present tool does not contact. Spaced from the splined end 25 of the shaft 23, there is a circumferential groove 27 for receiving the opposing converging portions of the U-shaped keeper spring 28 having angularly diverging ends. The handle socket 22, which is splined to fit the splines 25 of the shaft 23, has opposing openings 29 receiving the referred to converging portions of the spring 28. When the handle 20 is in place, the converging portions of the spring 28 engage the groove 27 in the shaft 23.

The forward portion of the plate 10 is recessed at 30 and on the sides of the recess there are beveled edges which slope slightly rearwardly from the forward ends of the recess. On the sides of the recess 30 and rearwardly of the transverse center of the recess 30 there are forwardly directed triangular prongs 32 which are shaped to engage the diverging ends of the keeper springs 28. The inner end 33 of the recess 30 is located to serve as a stop when applied to that type of handle assembly such as illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 so as to spread and release the spring 28 from the shaft groove 27 without entirely removing the spring from the socket openings 29. Thus, the spring 28 will not be dropped during the handle removing operation. For that type of handle 30 including an integral base 21, as illustrated in FIGURE 7, there are stops 34 which project upwardly from the plate 10 for engaging a portion of the periphery of the base.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 8 is identical with the foregoing, except the handle support and the hinged bracket. In this form of the invention, the handle support is comprised of two parallel spaced rods 15a which are looped at their outer ends at 17a. There is a transverse pin 18a in the tubular handle 19a in the end thereof toward the plate 10, which pin has the same function as the previously described internal shoulder 18, that is, it makes contact with the looped end 17a which corresponds with the stop 17 when the handle 19a is fully extended. The bracket 11a of this form of the invention is a continuation of the handle support rods 15a which are bent at their ends to provide hinge pins 13a. A spacer 35 is provided, as by welding, between the rods 15a adjacent the bracket 11a.

When removing a handle 20 such as illustrated in FIGURE 7 the pad 24 is pushed inwardly along with an internally flanged washer 36 which surrounds the shaft 23. The handle 19 or 19a is positioned parallel with the operating plate 10 and the leading edge 31 is positioned between the handle base 21 and the washer 36. By gently pulling on the handle 19, 19a, the prongs 32 of the plate 10 spread the spring 28 a distance so that the converging portions of the spring are removed from the groove 27 in the shaft 23. The handle 19, 19a is then turned 90 and pushed toward the plate 10, after which it is jerked outwardly, causing the handle shoulder 18 or pin 18a to strike the stop 17 or looped end 17a and thereby jar the socket 22 from the splined end 25 of the shaft 23. To remove a handle 20a such as illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, the operation is the same except the leading edges 31 are inserted between the 4 socket 22 and the escutcheon plate 21a instead of the handle base 21 and the washer 36.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary constructions herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A tool for removing a crank handle from the end of a splined shaft where said crank includes a socket which fits over the end of said shaft, where said shaft includes a circumferential groove therearound and located within said socket, openings in opposite sides of said socket and aligned with said groove and a U-shaped keeper spring, said spring having diverging ends and converging portions adjacent thereto adapted to be received in said openings and extend into said groove, said tool comprising: an operating plate including a forward portion having a recess therein, projections on the sides of said recess positioned to engage said diverging ends of said spring, a handle pivotally connected with opposite sides of said plate, said handle including an elongate support member, a handle member slidably mounted thereon, and stop means limiting the outward movement of said handle member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/ 1950 Hallenborg 29-229 X 7/ 1965 Newbury 29-229 

